_Second W. I. M._ Yes--and they haven't done yet. I knew, months and months ago, the crash must come. That French chap, LAMPION told me all about it. He says it'll bust up the Republic before they've done with it.
_First W. I. M._ And a good thing too. That kind of corruption only flourishes under a Republican form of government. They want a strong man in France, that's what they want.
_Average Man._ I don't believe much in your strong men. I suppose the last Emperor was a pretty fair specimen; but they seem to have had some high old ramps under him, too. Besides, look at Russia.
_First W. I. M._ You can't bring Russia forward as an example.
_Second W. I. M._ Of course not. Russia don't count.
_A. M._ Why not? I don't suppose you can make a man much stronger than the CZAR; but, if we're to believe what we're told, the whole place is honeycombed with corruption. Why--(_to_ First W. I. M.)--you were saying yourself, only the other day, that Russia was corrupt to the core.
_First W. I. M._ Oh, but I was speaking of something quite different. Russia is a country _per se_.
_Inquirer._ I thought Russia was an Autocracy.
_Second W. I. M._ (_after a pause_). Well, anyhow, we in England haven't done anything of the kind. You can't deny that.
_A. M._ No, we haven't done anything quite on the same scale lately, I admit that. But we've done our best with worthless mines, and bogus Companies of all kinds, and financial papers, and Building Societies. Seems to me we've no right to chuck stones at poor old LESSEPS.
_Inquirer._ Is that the same old chap who did something in Egypt some years ago?
_Second W. I. M._ (_smiling, and superior_). Yes, the very same. He made the Suez Canal.
_Inquirer._ Of course--so he did. That was what we went to the Soudan for, wasn't it?
_Second W. I. M._ (_dubiously_). Well, it had something to do with it, of course. As we'd got four million pounds' worth of shares in the Canal, we couldn't afford to see it upset. And then (_brightening_) there was the Dual Control. That was really at the bottom of the whole business.
_Inquirer._ The Dual Control? I don't remember what that was.
_Second W. I. M._ Why, don't you remember ARABI setting himself up against the KHEDIVE? Well, naturally, we couldn't stand the two of them playing their games there; so we just had to nip in, and smash old ARABI.